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North Carolina vs Wake Forest Prediction, Game Preview, Live Stream, Odds & Picks

No. 15 North Carolina will face Wake Forest, which could play a role in setting up the ACC championship matchup. The last two games between these in-state rivals have been high-scoring affairs, with both teams going over 50 points.

Last week, the Tar Heels (8-1, 5-0 ACC) beat Virginia 31-28 to extend their winning streak to five and remain undefeated in ACC play. For the Demon Deacons (6-3, 2-3), the 30-21 loss against now No. 17 North Carolina State officially knocked them out of the AP Top 25 poll for the first time this season.

Josh Downs #11 of the North Carolina Tar Heels slips
Josh Downs #11 - Ryan M. Kelly / Getty Images North America / Getty Images via AFP

Let’s check the latest college football odds, stats, injury reports, and college football lines for North Carolina vs Wake Forest. We’ve plenty of NCAA football odds for you to consider.

Maye Day for North Carolina

The play of quarterback Drake Maye has been a massive part of North Carolina’s success. He has looked fantastic throwing for 2,964 yards, 31 touchdowns, with three interceptions on a 71% completion. He is also playing a big role in the ground game, leading the Tar Heels in rushing attempts and yards adding four touchdowns.

Compared to the rest of his season, the win over Virginia was a down game for Maye. He threw for 293 yards and two touchdowns but did run for 74 yards and a touchdown. Maye had thrown for over 300 yards in the prior five games before last week while throwing over two touchdowns in four of those games.

Maye has been a massive part of improving last season’s 6-7 record. That team featured a solid quarterback who was drafted into the NFL in the fifth round. However, Maye has put this team on another level, and a win against Wake Forest will set the Tar Heels up to play Clemson in the ACC Championship Game.

Turnovers Plague Wake Forest

In the last two weeks, Wake Forest lost to Louisville 48-21 and got beat by a ranked opponent in North Carolina State. Over those two games, the Demon Deacons committed 11 turnovers while only forcing one. That mistake-riddled style of play has dropped them out of the Top 25 after they had been ranked as high as 10th three weeks ago.

A lot of the turnovers have been mistakes from junior quarterback Sam Hartman, who has thrown six of his nine interceptions in the last two games, throwing three in each. His mistakes have been the turning point in the season, constantly putting the team in a bad situation. In the third quarter against Louisville, the Demon Deacons committed six turnovers while getting outscored 35-0.

Some of it isn’t completely his fault as he hasn’t had much help. The running game has not been good with only 17 yards last week, forcing Hartman to throw 48 times. He did end up with 397 yards and two touchdowns.

North Carolina vs Wake Forest Game Injuries

North Carolina vs Wake Forest Head-to-Head

The schools have been longtime rivals, spanning 109 games on the football field, with North Carolina holding a 71-win advantage. They also won the last two meetings, which combined for 225 points. The last time Wake Forest won was in 2019 (24-18).

North Carolina vs Wake Forest Game Information

  • Game: North Carolina vs Wake Forest
  • Date: Saturday, Nov. 12
  • Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
  • Location: Truist Field, Winston-Salem, NC
  • North Carolina vs Wake Forest Live Stream: ESPN

North Carolina vs Wake Forest Betting Lines

North Carolina vs Wake Forest Prediction

Wake Forest is headed into the game with North Carolina as 3½-point favorites, possibly just because the Demon Deacons are being given home-field advantage. The Tar Heels have been the better team of late, mainly due to the play of their quarterback.

Neither team’s defenses have been anything special, but both have solid offenses, which should lead to another high-scoring game. The point total is set at 78, which should go over if you have trouble picking the Tar Heels to win straight up.

North Carolina is listed at +145 in our Vegas lines. This means that if you wager $100 on North Carolina, you have a chance to win $145. Wake Forest is +165, offering a chance to win $61 on a $100 wager.

The implied probability attached to the betting lines gives North Carolina a 40.82% chance to win, with Wake Forest at 62.26%.

North Carolina vs Wake Forest Edge

North Carolina vs Wake Forest Results

North Carolina vs Wake Forest Game Summary

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